Internal combustion engine



Nov. 7, 1939. T E 2,179,278

INTERNAL COMBUSTI ()N ENGINE Filed May 3, 1937 [P INVENTOR. 54' F: BY

5 3 imam ATTORNEY.

Patented Not. 1, 1939 2,179,278

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Allan H. Wnrtele, Mix, La.

Application May 3, 1937, Serial No. 140,319

3 Claims. (Cl. 123-32) This invention relates to internal combustion piston and not wasted in blasting, for example, engines and more particularly to engines of the as it is in precombustion chamber engines heresolid fuel injection type which are commonly tofcre provided. known as Diesel engines. Still another-object is to provide a novel valve Many different types of combustion chambers which cooperates with.- the piston to form a have been heretofore proposed for Diesel engines precombustion chamber and embodies novel and many different means for injecting the fuel means for pumping fuel into said chamber. into the engine cylinder or combustion chamber Another object is to provide novel means for have been provided, but none of these structures c uat g a combined fuel p p d Valve d has given complete satisfaction, since it has been for supp y fuel to said P p necessary to forego certain desirable features and The above and further obj cts a no el fearesults in order to obtain others. For example, t s f the invention will more fully pp a m in order to obtain high speed and flexibility by the following detailed description when the same providing maximum turbulence and minimum is read in connection with the accompanying ignition lag, it has been necessary to introduce drewihg- It is to b expressly understood,

substantial pumping and friction losses. when ever, that h wi i r the P p Of the latter are minimized in prior constructions, illustration y a d are not i t de s a defllow turbulence, ignition lag and low co bu t n nition of the limits of the invention, reference pressures are introduced and the maximum speed being primarily had for s letter p p to the of operation is materially reduced. Open champp Claimsber engines of the types heretofore provided can- In the drawin wherein like reference acnot operate at high speeds and refined high speed ters refer to like parts throughout the several precombustion chamber engines operate with views, great pumping and friction losses and, hence, 1 is side elevation, P y i section and 5 inefficiently. Furthermore, it has been found with parts broken away, of one cylinder of an that said pumping and friction losses limit the internal Combustion engine embodying One form maximum speeds attainable by the highest speed of the prese t invention; Diesels in production today. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the valve of It is accordingly an object of the present in- Fig. I, the section being taken substantially on vention to provide an engine having a novel comine 2-2 f Fi bustion space which meets the fundamental re- Fi 3 i a et il top plan View, with parts quirements for high speed Diesel engines, broken away, of the novel rocker arm and fuel Another object of the invention is to provide upply means of Fig. 1. t

a Diesel engine wherein pumping and friction The single form of the invention illustrated in losses are minimized while, at the same time, t e a c p drawing, y y Of p high air turbulence, rapid ignition and, hence, is shown s being embodied in a tw -s l high speed and flexibility are attained. port scavengin v lve-' exhaust. sdhd Still another object of the invention is to prcfuel injection n in Th letter, in the f rm vide a novel combustion chamber in an internal illustrated, comprises a Cylinder h ch is surcombustion engine and novel means for injecting ed y 3 00011113 Water jacket H d has an fuel into said chamber. integral head Ill. The latter is provided with- A further object is to provide a centrally disan exhaust port l3 that is preferably centrally posed precombustion space in an engine cylinder disposed with respect to the l n it inal axis of which is so constructed as to permit of high speed cy an exhaust gas Passage l4 eading operation with a minimum of friction and pumpto a manifold (not shown) and a valve i e l5 ing losses. for slidably receiving the stem portion ii of a A still further object is to rovide'an engine n v l va e, t enlarged head p rt on ll of wherein the cylinder, piston and valve cooperate which engages a t surrounding P 13 and to form combustion spaces whereby the advancontrols the flow of exhaust gases through said tages of both the so-called open chamber and the port. The tubular stem of valve l8, l1 slidably precombusfion or t b l h b r a o extends through guide l5 and the head thereof l m n, is yieldingly held against seat l8 by any suitable Another'object is to provide a novel precommeans, such as coil spring 'I interposed between bustion chamber engine wherein the entire force cylinder head I! and a collar 8 secured in any 5 of the burning charge is exerted against the suitable manner to the upper end of valve stem 16.

Slidably mounted in cylinder II is a piston I! which is adapted to be connected to the engine crank shaft (not shown) for reciprocation thereby by means of a connecting rod 25. when the 5 piston is near the bottom of its stroke, the same uncovers a plurality of tangentially directed openings 2| provided in the wall of cylinder Ill about the periphery thereof, which openings have communication with an annular air chamber '22 that is preferably connected with a suitable source of compressed air or other combustion supporting medium by one or more conduits 25. Thus, after each stroke of piston ID, a swirling column of air under pressure is injected into cylinder I. through Ports 2|, said air being effective to drive the burned gases of combustion out through port l3 and passage l4 and to charge the cylinder with a fresh supply of air for supporting the combustion of the succeeding fuel charge which is injected through valve l6,

II, in a manner to appear hereafter.

The lower or head portion of valve I6, il, the top oi piston l5 and the walls of cylinder iii are so formed as to provide novel mainand precombustion chambers whereby high turbulence and hence rapid and complete combustion of the fuel charge may be obtained with minimum pumping and friction losses and without necessitating an unnecessarily high compression ratio. The novel construction is also such that all of the force generated by the expansion of the burning charge is expended in driving the piston downwardly to do useful work. In the form shown, the enlarged, bell-shaped head I! of valve l6, I1 is provided with a partially spherical cavity or recess 24 having a circular cross section, the

lower end or mouth of said recess having the largest cross-section and being in open communication with cylinder It. A sphere-like recess 25 having a maximum width substantially equal to the diameter of the mouth of recess 24 is preferably provided in the top center of piston 19, said recesses being adapted to cooperate, when the piston is at the top of its stroke, to form a precombustion chamber 24, 25, the curved walls of which do not interfere with or hamper the swirling motion and, hence, the tm'bulence of the combustion supporting medium into which the combustible charge is injected.

The upper peripheral margin of piston I9 is preferably bevelled as at 26 and cooperates with the rounded or curved upper wall 21 of cylinder II to form an annular main-combustion chamber 28. The bevel 25 starts at a point adjacent the edge of recess 25 thereby leaving an annular rib 25 between the. bevelled portion and said recess, which rib closely approaches the lower periphery of valve head I! when the piston is at top dead center and forms a narrow annular passage 3| connecting precombustion chamber 24, 25 and main-combustion chamber 25. It will be evident that the pumping losses which occur in engines wherein the compressed air must be driven through one or more comparatively small orifices into a precombustion chamber and the friction losses due to the flow of air and the burning charge through said restricted orifices are substantially eliminated andthat the piston and bearing friction losses which vary directly with the compression ratio are minimized in an engine embodying the above-described combus tion chambers which obviate the necessity for an extremely high compression ratio. Furthermore,

a rich and turbulent mixture is provided in chamber 24, 25, the entire charge being initially mixed with only that portion of the combustion supporting medium which is in chamber 2|. 25, thereby insuring prompt and unfailing ilnition as well as rapid burning. The burning particles of the charge expand in a radial direction through annular opening 30, thereby creating very high turbulence in chamber 25 and causing a thorough mixture of said charge with the air in said chamber. Uniform fuel distribution 10 and, hence, rapid and complete combustion thereof, are thus insured, and the entire force of the expanding gases is exerted at all times on the upper face-of piston I9.

Novel fuel injecting means are provided for 15 supplying fuel oil or other suitable combustible to chamber 24, 25, said means, in the form shown, comprising a nozzle 34 and novel pumping means mounted within valve l5, l1. Said nozzle is supported by the wall forming the face of said valve 50 and has a small orifice 35 therethrough that connects a valve chamber 35 in the upper end of the nozzle with precombustion chamber 24, 25. Nozzle 34 is threadedly received by a bore 31 in the lower end of a cylindrical member 35, the 8 bottom edge of which engages a soft metallic gasket, such as copper, provided on the upper surface of an external flange on said nozzle. The upper end of member 38 is also provided with a bore .39 which slidably receives a pump cylinder or barrel 40. A copper or like gasket is interposed between a flange on barrel 45 and the upper end of member 35 and the complete nozzle and pump barrel assembly is held in a central position in stem i5 by a tubular element 4| that is threaded into said stem and bears at its lower end against the flange on the top of barrel 4i).v

The movable element or piston of thefuel pumping means is constituted by a plunger 40 member 42 which has a close sliding flt in barrel 4. and is centrally bored to provide a fuel passage 45 into which fuel may be injected in a manner to appear hereinafter. Passage 43 has communication with bore 39 below piston 42 45 through radial passages 44 and a groove 45 in the inner wall of barrel 40 when said plunger is at the upper end of its strok in which position the same is normally held by any suitable resilient means, such as a spring 46, that is interposed between the upper end of valve l6. l1 and an enlarged portion 41 of the plunger. A suitable one-way check valve may be provided in passage 45, 44, if desired.

Novel means are provided for actuating both 55 piston 42 and valve l5, II in properly timed relation with respect to each other and without exerting any side thrust thereon. Said means preferably comprise a rocker arm 48 that is mounted for pivotal movement on a journal 42 which is supported by a bifurcated bracket ll. Arm 48 is adapted to be actuated by a push rod 5| which is, in turn, adapted to be reciprocated in a vertical direction by a suitably designed rotatable cam (not shown) in a manner well known in the art. Suitable resilient means, such as spring 52, is provided for yieldingly maintaining the lower end of rod 5| in engagement with said cam. The inner end of arm 48 is bifurcated (Fig. 3) and the ends of the two prongs thereof engage a piston-like guide member 53 which slidably extends into an opening in the upper end of a housing or guide 54 that is secured to cylinder head l2 and surrounds the upwardly 7 projecting portions of valve l8, l1 and pump 40, 42. The centralportion of member 53 engages the enlarged upper end of plunger 42, 41,

-and the lower edge of the depending flange thereof is adapted to' engage the upper end. of valve I6, I1 after a predetermined downward movement of said plunger by arm 48. Member 53 is provided with a central opening to permit of the attachment of a fuel supply conduit to plunger 42, 41 and the engaging surfaces of said member and plunger are preferably so curved, as to permit the plunger to properly align itself in barrel 43 at all times. 7

Fuel oil is preferably supplied to pump 48, 42 by means of a flexible connection comprising an elbow 55 threaded into the upper end of plunger 42, 41 and a flexible conduit 56, such as flexible metallic tubing, secured at one end to elbow 55 and at its other end to journal 48 by any suitable coupling means. A slot 51 is provided at the hub of rocker arm 48 to permit movement of the latter relative to conduit 55, 56 and the latter communicates with a radially and axially extending passage 48 in journal 49 to which fuel is supplied by a. suitable metering pump (not shown) through a conduit 59 (Fig. 3). Metered charges of fuel may thus be supplied to pump 48, 42 through conduit 59, passage 58, conduit 55, 56, passage 43, 44 and groove 45. As soon as the lower end of plunger 42 passes the lower edge of groove 45 on the down stroke of said plunger, a pressure is built up in chamber 38, 40 and fuel is forced through a passage 66 into chamber 36 at a point below the bevelled face of a piston-like valve member 61 which-is normally held in position to close atomizing orifice 35 by a spring 68 housed in bore 31 of member 38. The pressure built up by pump 48, 42 is effective to lift valve 61 and permit fuel to flow through orifice 35 and be sprayed into chamber 24, 25. As soon as the movement of plunger 42 relative to valve I6 ceases, spring 68 becomes effective to immediately move valve 61 to its closed position.

For the purpose of cooling valve I6, l1 and the fuel pumping means therein, the diameter of member 38 is preferably somewhat less than the inside diameter of stem I6 thereby forming an annular chamber 69 in which a suitable cooling medium may be circulated and the walls of valve head l1 are cored, as at 10 to form a continuation of chamber 69. Cooling chamber 59, 18 may have communication through ports H with the interior of members 38, thereby permitting cooling fluid to come into direct contact with spring 68 and valve 61. The outer surface of member 38 is preferably provided with a plurality of fins or ribs, as best seen in Fig. 2, thereby increasing the surface area which is contacted by the cooling medium. The latter is introduced into chamber 69, 10 through a conduit 13, an annular groove 14 in guide I and a plurality of openings 15 in the wall of stem I6.

Preferably, openings 15 register with groove 14 only when valve I6, I1 is moved to open position by rocker arm 48 and air or a mixtureof air and water is employed as the valve cooling medium. The air'is discharged from the valve at high velocity through a plurality of ports 16 in valve head l1 thereby creating an ejector action which assists in removing burned gases from cylinder ID. If the cooling air is saturated or mixed with a small amount of water, the latter will turn to steam within the valve, thereby increasing the heat absorbing capacity of the cooling medium by an amount equal to the heat of vaporization of the water. The increase of pressure due to the creation of steam will also enhance the velocity at which the steam and air pass through ports 16 :thereby increasing the ejector or suction effect thereof in removing burned gases from cylinder I8. To prevent leakageof the cooling medium between stem I8 and guide I5, suitable packing rings 11 and a stufllng box 18 may be provided. I

If desired, a plurality of radial passages and annular grooves 18 may beprovided in plunger 42. Fuel oil from passage 43 isthus permitted to lubricate the engaging walls of plunger 42 and barrel 48. The engaging walls of guide member 58 and housing 54 may be lubricated by oil supplied through aconduit 88 and an annular groove 8|. The lubricating oil may pass through small \passages in the flange of member 53 into housing 54 and returned to a sump by suitable means (not shown). Leakage from the pump 48, 42 is prevented by the metallic gaskets at each end of member 38, the latter of which may be made v of aluminum alloy having a slightly higher coeflicient of expansion than the metal of the other parts, whereby tight joints are insured when the valve is heated. The aluminum alloy also has high heat conductivity.

In the operation of an engine embodying the present invention, rod 5| is moved upwardly by a suitably designed cam when piston I8 reaches or nears top dead center position to thereby actuate pump plunger 42, 41 which forces a charge of fuel through nozzle, 34 into precombustion chamber 24, 25, in the manner heretofore fully described. The fuel emerges from orifice 35 in the form of a fine spray and is ignited by the head of the compressed gases in the precombus-- tion chamber, said air being in a highly turbulent state. Due to the turbulence and richness of the fuel and air mixture, ignition takes place with certainty and the burning is rapid. The gases of combustion expand against the face of piston I9 and some of the burning particles of fuel are driven radially and outwardly in all directions through passage 30 into main-combustionchamber 28 where said particles are thoroughly and evenly mixed with the air therein. Complete, rapid and progressive burning of all of the fuel particles, is thus insured and the entire force of the expanding gases is utilized in driving piston 19 downwardly to do useful work.

When power piston I9 nears the bottom of its stroke, valve I6, I1 is opened by continued movement of rod 5| and arm 48 and ports 2| are uncovered, said valve preferably being opened slightly ahead of the opening of said ports. Air enters cylinder l0 through tangential ports 2I from chamber 22 thereby setting up a swirling column of air which is effective to drive the burned gases out through port I3, said air being aided in the removal of said burned gases by air and steam emerging from ports 16 in a manner fully pointed out above. Just before ports 2| are again covered on the up-stroke of piston I9, spring 1 is permitted to move valve l6, I1 to closed position, thereby allowing a full, swirling charge of fresh air to enter cylinder III for supporting the combustion of the next charge of fuel oil. At the same time, plunger 42, 41 is moved to raised position by spring 46 for receiving another fuel charge from the metering pump.

During the continued upward movement of piston I9, the swirling motion of the air in cylinder III is not hampered in any way, the contours of the cylinder and chamber 24, 25 being conducive to such motion thereby assuring high turbulence when the fuel charge is injected. Additionally, the engine is not burdened with the necessity for pumping the compressed air into a 5 precombustion chamber through one or more small orifices and the combined volumes of chamber 28 and 24, 25 are comparatively large, thereby providing a desirable compression ratio and minimizing the piston and bearing friction losses. As 1 the piston nears the top of its stroke, another fuel charge is injected and the cycle of operation is repeated.

There is thus provided an internal combustion engine embodying novel combustion spaces which are so formed and disposed that high turbulence and rapid and complete fuel combustion are attained without the high pumping and friction losses which are attendant to said advantages in engines heretofore provided. Novel means are also provided for injecting fuel into a novel centrally disposed precombustion chamber formed by the cooperating faces of the exhaust valve and power piston, the latter structure permitting thorough, uni-flow scavenging of the power cylinder, uniform fuel distribution and non-interference with the turbulence of the combustion supporting air during the compression thereof. A novel means and method for cooling a valve are also provided.

Although only a single embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail, it is to be expressly understood that the same is not limited thereto, but that various changes may be made therein, particularly in the design and arrangement of parts illustrated, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. For a definition of the limits of the invention, reference will be had primarily to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an internal combustion engine, a power cylinder, a cylinder head therefor having a centrally disposed port therein, a valve for said 4.3 port having a recess in the face thereof, the innermost portion of said valve being in a plane adjacent the inner surface of said cylinder head, means for injecting fuel through said valve into said recess, a piston operable in said cylinder having a recess in the top thereof, said recesses having outlets which are of substantially equal area and being adapted to cooperate with one another to form a pre-combustion chamber when the piston is at the top of its stroke, and an annular main combustion chamber formed by the wall of said cylinder and the annular portion of the topof said cylinder around the recess in the latter, communication between said chambers be- ,ing materially restricted when the piston is at top dead center.

2. In an internal combustion engine, a power cylinder, a cylinder head therefor having a centrally disposed port therein, a valve for said port having a recess in the face thereof, said recess being of circular section which has a maximum area at the mouth thereof, said mouth being adjac'ent the inner surface of the cylinder head when the valve is in closed position, means for injecting fuel through said valve into said recess, and a piston operable in said cylinder having a recess in the top thereof, the latter recess being of circular section having a maximum area at the upper surface of said piston and substantially equal to the maximum section of said first-named recess, said recesses being adapted to cooperate to form a combustion chamber when the piston is at the top of its stroke, communication between said chamher and said power cylinder being restricted when the piston is at top dead center.

3. In an internal combustion engine, a power cylinder, 9. cylinder head therefor having a centrally disposed port therein, a valve for said port having a recess in the face thereof, said recess being of circular section which has a maximum area at the mouth thereof, said mouth being adjacent the inner surface of the cylinder head when the valve is in closed position, means for injecting fuel through said valve into said recess, a

piston operable in said cylinder having a recess in the top thereof, the latter recess being of circular section having a maximum area at the upper surface of said piston and substantially equal to the maximum section of said first-named recess,

said recesses being adapted to cooperate to form' a pre-combustion chamber when the piston is at the top of its stroke, and an annular main combustion chamber formed by the wall of said cylinder and the annular portion of the top of said piston surrounding the recess in the latter, said combusion chambers having restricted communication with each other when the piston is at the top of its stroke.

ALLAN R. WURTELE. 

